The best sci-fi film never made: Also-rans take a bow We're obliged to all those readers who took the time to throw over their nominations for the best sci-fi film never made, and we're delighted to report that we've whittled the contenders down to a final 50. We simply waded through all your emails and comments and picked those titles which had received the most support. On …
1. A lot these are comics, some even only published in weekly serials and not even graphic-novelled - do we count comics as valid sci-fi literature now?
2. Is the fact that "The New Statesmen" (Genetic Engineering / Pop Culture missive; not Rick Mayall!) from the 2000AD offshoot Crisis (circa 1988) is missing from the list because is too esoteric or because it appears in the final 50? I await the answer with a worm on my tongue (nanu nanu).
"[D]o we count comics as valid sci-fi literature now?"
Yes, we do. There's been a Hugo category for them since 2009.
(And Watchmen won a Hugo way back when, too, but that was a one-off category that was basically designed just to give Watchmen a Hugo without properly facing up to the debate of a graphic novel category, so we generally don't count that one.)
Heinlein:
Job
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (there was a screenplay in the works for this at one time)
Stranger In A Strange Land (I know that Tom Hanks had this one optioned at one point)
Variable Star (Ok, perhaps more Spider Robinson than Heinlein, but still)
Spider Robinson:
Time Pressure
Banks:
Surface Detail (I would LOVE to see the hells on the big screen!)
Consider Phlaebas (can't be bothered to check the spelling right now)
Mikhail Bulgakov:
The Master and Margharita (some passing/slight similarities with Heinlein's "Job", to the extent that I wonder if Heinlein was influence by this at all)
"Remake or reboot? Or (shudder) sequel? That will be the question facing cinema audiences confronted by a new, big screen Judge Dredd movie that is to be filmed in South Africa in 2012 . . .
Most people (particularly in the States) will probably know Judge Dredd from the 1995 movie directed by Danny Cannon, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Armand Assante and Max von Sydow. The character however has its roots in the weekly British comic book 2000 AD, where he appeared as long ago as 1977!"....
There's also a fanfilm - Judge Minty! http://www.judgeminty.com/
Would prefer a Ridley Scott directed film though. Blade Runner always reminds me of Robohunter, especially the Verdus series, before "hoagy" showed up.
Frank Herbert will be remembered 200 years from now as one of the strongest writers and most subtle thinkers amongst 20th century sci-fi writers.
Which is exactly why none of his books can be made into good movies - his books make sense only when the reader reads between the lines. Movies do not excel at presenting the stuff that lies between the lines.
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